William e



(No Model.)

W. E. SPARKS.

PADLOGK.

No. 456,744. Patented July 28, 1891.

z mums warms ca, mmv-mnu., mamma VILLIAM E. SPARKS, OF NEW HAVE PATENTOFFICE.

N, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE` SARGENT it COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PADLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,744, dated J' uly28, 1891.

Applicatinn iiled April 20, 1891. Serial No. 389,639. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, VILLIAM E. SPARKS, of New Haven, in the county ofNew Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inPadlocks; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken inconnection with accompanying drawings and the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specitication,and represent, in

Figure l, a front view of the lock complete; Fig. 2, a top view ot' thesame; Fig. 3, a bottoni view of the same; Fig. f-l, the key; Fig. 5,

a vertical section cutting on line emot Fig. 7, showing the shackle inplace and engaged `with the tumblers; Fig. G, tho same section as Fig.5, representing the tumblcrs as turned for the release of the shackleand the shackle withdrawn; Fig. 7, a transverse section on line :c ofFig. 5; Fig. S, a transverse section on line a: x of Fig. 6.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of padlockscommonly called Scandinavian locks-that is, a lock in which the shackleis of U shape, its two legs adapted to slide into corresponding holes inthe top of the case, there being tumblers arranged within the case torotate in a horizontal plane and so as to be thrown into engagement withcorresponding notches in the legs ot' the shackle, so as to secure theshackle within the case, or -when the tumblers are turned from theirengaging position the shackle is withdrawn bodily from the case,

its withdrawal, in some cases, being arrested `the other, and so asy toserve as a pivot on which the shackle may turn in a horizontal plane, soas to bring the other leg away from the case to open the shackle, itbeing understood that the key-hole is in -the bottom of the case, and sothat the key is inserted therein parallel with and between the legs ofthe shackle, so that the key, being rotated, will correspondingly turnthe tumblers, the center of the key being the axis of rotation.

In the more general construction of this class of locks the tu mblersare arranged so as to rotate in horizontal planes, each tumbler adaptedto engage a like notch in both legs of the shackle, the tuinblers beingconstructed with recesses at opposite points corresponding to the legs,so that when turned to bring these recesses into line with the legs thelegs may be withdrawn. The notches in the legs for each tumbler, beingin the same plane, necessitates a space between successive tumblers, inorder to form additional notches in the legs. To produce this spacebetween the tumblers, false tumblers are introduced, said false tumblersalso serving as supports or bearings for the tuinblers and guides forthe key. This construction necessitates long legs to the shank and acorresponding long case, and the necessary presence of the falsetumblers correspondingly increases the number of parts of which the lockis composed.

The object of my invention is to avoid the employment of suclr falsetuinblers, and thereby simplify and cheapen the construction of thelock; and the invention consists in the construction, hereinafterdescribed, and particularly recited in the claims.

A represents the case, which in its exterior appearance is substantiallythe saine as the usual construction. Itscentral portion forms a chambercircular in transverse section, with projections upondiametricallyfopposite sides this class ot locks.

B represents the shackle, constructed with its two legs C D, adapted toenter corresponding openings E F in the upper end of the case, in theusual manner. Preferably the two legs O D are made of equal length.YVithin the case several fiat tumblers, here represented as four innumber and indicated as l 2 3 i, are arranged in horizontal planes, andlie close together, the upper tumbler resting against a bearing G in thecase. These .flat tumblers in diameter correspond to the internaldiameter of the central portion of the rotate within that portion of thecase, as upon an axis. Through each ot the tumblers is a central slot H,(see Fig. 7,) and in the bottom I ot the case is a central key-hole J,through which the key K, Fig. l, may be introduced,

the key passing through the slots H in the to receive the legs ot theshank, as usual in" case, as seen in Fig. 7, and so that they may Ytumblers, the tip Ii of the key passing into a the lower tumbler, andthus support the tumcentral seat M at the upper end of the case, and sothat the key being rotated will engage the several tumblers and impartrotation thereto. The openings E F in the case into which the legs passare in such relation to the central cylindrical portion of the case thatthe legs when inserted into those openings will project into the centralor circular portion of the body, as indicated in Fig. 7. The tumblersare each constructed with a recess N in their peripheries, which, whenthe tumblers arerotated to apredetermined position, will be brought intoline with the openings E F, (see Fig. 8,) and so that the legs of theshackle may pass freely into or out of the openings E F; but when thetumblers'are turned so as to take these notches or recesses N away fromthe openings E F the periphery of the tumblers will be brought to theopenings, as seen in Fig. 7, thus interrupting, or to a considerableextent cutting off, those openings. The two legs of the shackle areconstructed with notches a h c d, as seen in Fig. G, corresponding tothe several tumblers when the shackle is within the case, as seen inFig. 5. The notches in one shank are in a plane between the notches ofthe other shank, as clearly seen in Fig. 6, instead of being arranged inthe same plane, as in the more general construction of shackles. Thetumblers being turned so as to bringthe recesses N into line with theopenings E F, as seen in Fig. 8, the shackle is introduced, the two legspassing freely into the saidV openings to their place of rest. Then thetumblers being turned by the key, their peripheries will pass into therespective notches in the legs of the shackle, as seenA in Figs. 5 and 7and thus interlock the shackle with the tumblers.

' The tumblers are simply thin flat metal disks arranged close togetherand near the upper end of the case. To support the tumblers and give therequired length to the case, the bottom I of the case is constructedwith Ya central tube O, upon its inside, of a length corresponding tothe distance from the inside of the bottom I to thelowesttumblers, asseen in Fig. 6, and so that the bottom secured in the case, the tube Owill bear against blers in their proper position between the end of thetube O and the bearing G above; but so that they may be readily rot-atedby the action of the key. The said tube also serves as aguide forthekey, directing it into the slots of the tumblers.

To prevent accidental turning of the turnblers, or so as to yieldinglyhold them in their locked or unlocked position, each tumbler is providedwith a spring P at its edge to bear against the inner surface of thecase, as seen in Fig. 7. The frictional contact between the innersurface of the c'ase and the spring of the tumbler on one side and theperiphery of the tumbler upon the opposite side is sufiicient to retainthe tumblers in any position to which they may be turned, but vet allowthem to be rotated under the action of the key.

rlhe edge of the tumblers is cut away at points so as to lessen theextent of bearing, and so that when a tumbler is brought into itsposition with its notch corresponding to the shackle-opening on one sidethe other side will not interfere with the entrance of the leg upon thatside, it being understood that the tumblers alternate, one engaging oneleg on one side while the next tumbler engages the opposite leg on theopposite side.

In the construction shown the shackle is represented as to be removedentirely from the case. This is a common construction in Scandinavianlocks; but the shackle instead of being entirely removed from the case,one leg may be longer than the other and serve as a pivot, when theshackle is withdrawn so far as to take the other leg from its openinginthe case-an expedient too well known in this class of locks to requireillustration.

By this construction the number of parts of the lock is very greatlyreduced, the lock correspondingly simplied and cheapened in itsconstruction, and because of the less number of parts and bearings thewear inthe use of the lock is very much reduced.

I claiml. In a padlock, the combination of a case having a centralchamber circular in trans verse section, with a projection at each sideopening at the top of the case, the said open- IOO ings extending intoVthe central chamber of the case, one or more tumblers arranged inhorizont-al planes and supported against a bearing within the case, thebottom of the case constructed with a central tube as an integral partthereof extending inward, and so as to form a bearing against the saidtumblers opposed to the said bearing in the case against which thetumblers rest, the bottom, also constructed with a key-hole extendingthrough said tube, and the tumblers constructed each with a slotcorresponding to the key, and so that the said tube serves as a guidefor the key into said slots of the tumblers, the tumblers constructedeach with notches in their periphery corresponding to the openings atthe respective sides of the case, and a U-shaped shackle the two legs ofwhich are adapted to pass into the said openings in the case and projectinto the said central chamber, the legs constructed with notchescorresponding to the respective tu mblers, substantially as described.

2. In a padlock, the combination of a case having a central chambercircular in transverse section, with a projection at each side openingat the top of the case, the said openings extending into the centralchamber of the case, several flat tumblers arranged one upon another andsupported against a bearing within the case, and so as to rotate inhorizontal planes, the periphery of said tumblers at one point beingadapted to extend IIO into said openings, while the opposite side of thesame tumbler escapes the opening upon the other side, the tuniblersbeing arranged so as to make such projections into the openingsalternate iirst one side and then the opposite side, and a Ushapedshackle the two legs of which are adapted to extend into said centralchamber, the legs constructed with notches upon their inner side, thenotches on one side in planes between the notches on the opposite sideand corresponding to the alternately-projecting portion of the severalturnblers, the bottom of the case constructed with ing witnesses.

WILLIAM E. SPARKS.

Witnesses.: x

I. B. SARGENT, CHAs. L. BALDWIN.

